While some Animal Crossing: New Horizons players focus on making fully original areas for their Villagers, others strive to recreate moments and visuals from other franchises. The latest example of an homage to another property sees an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player reference the DC comics film Joker.
Though Joker may seem like an odd thing to pay homage to, Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans have already parodied some unexpected things. The Steamed Hams scene from The Simpsons, for example, was recreated by one fan of the animated series. Likewise, the much-memed “I Don’t Need It” scene from SpongeBob SquarePants was recreated using a Gyroid, with the player behind the tribute doing an excellent job of copying camera angles. As such, while Joker is darker than the usual properties fans show their love for, gamers have already done the unexpected in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons player and Reddit user Sylver_Acnh is responsible for the Joker tribute, and there is a lot to love about their creation. For starters, the colors and designs of the couch, chair, and desk perfectly replicate Murray Franklin’s talk show set from Joker. Isabelle plays the uncomfortable talk show guest that was unlucky enough to find themselves sitting next to Arthur Fleck during his transformation into The Joker, while Tom Nook plays Murray. Given how many Bells Tom has taken from players, some would surely like to get revenge on the character themselves.
While plants and cameras decorate the area around Sylver_Acnh, their Animal Crossing: New Horizons character design steals the show. Alongside long green hair that mimics the look of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, the villain’s red and yellow suit is an exact recreation of the one worn on the film. The face paint is spot-on, too, with the player nailing the clown makeup worn by Arthur. With everything in place, the Redditor shares three images that show the scene progressing.
In the first image, The Joker can be seen laughing, while Isabelle looks uncomfortable and Tom Nook is clearly furious. The next image showcases a creepy smirk on the part of The Joker, a look that is clearly seen on the character’s face during the film. The final image showcases The Joker turning toward Murray stand-in Tom Nook, replicating the most disturbing moment from the movie. While there is no way to shoot characters in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as a gun prop would be far too violent for the adorable game, everything else about the photos is spot-on.
Unsurprisingly, the post has received hundreds of upvotes in the time since it was first shared, with many appreciating the fan’s eye for detail. With expert use of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ reactions and props, Sylver_Acnh was able to nail this unexpected homage to Joker.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch.